Penny
Penny

Please, Ma, Can We Keep Her?

Growing up Catholic, I was fascinated by St. Francis of Assisi. A guy who could talk to animals? That was my kind of saint!

When I was a kid, my family had numerous pets. Three dogs. A gerbil. Roughly 174 goldfish won at county fairs. Petey the parakeet. Not to mention the butterflies, lizards, hermit crabs, toads and tadpoles we raised over the years. Once we even hatched a preying mantis cocoon. (Cool!)

Later, after I moved out on my own, I adopted betta fish, then parakeets, then a cockatiel. A stray cat—Blackjack—started hanging around, and I took him in too.

That's when I started thinking St. Francis must be pointing wayward animals in my direction.

The next stray to come along was a two-week-old kitten we named Pearl. Shortly after Blackjack passed on, Catillac showed up. And then this April, little Harley strolled into our garage and jumped into my arms, nuzzling me and purring, as if he already belonged to us.

Okay, St. Francis. Enough with the animals....

One day this summer, I heard tiny mews...and saw Harley on the patio play-wrestling with a gorgeous orange kitten.

“Well, hello there,” I said softly.

The kitten's head jerked up—and she bolted across the backyard. Harley lay there, glaring at me. Nice going, Ma.

Since that day, “Penny” meets Harley at the door every morning and follows him everywhere. He's delighted with his new friend. But since three cats in the house is enough (no matter what St. Francis thinks!), I am working with Penny, feeding her, slowly teaching her to trust humans. I'm hoping that with time, patience and a little tuna, we can get this kitty ready for a “forever” home.

I'm not sure where that home will be—our local shelters are full—so I'm calling on the power of prayer for an answer.

This Sunday is St. Francis of Assisi’s Feast Day and many churches will be conducting a Blessing of the Animals in his honor. On Tuesday, October 6, OurPrayer.org is sponsoring the Blessing of the Animals Day of Prayer. I have several requests to send in...I invite you to send yours!

                                                                                    —Allison Ruffing

We want to hear all about your cats! Email us at lovedemcats@guideposts.org

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